KBEAR KS2

KBEAR started their journey off on the wrong foot. From the horrible Opal (which I couldn't be bothered to review, as it should be erased from history) to the very restrictive F1, it seemed that KBEAR won't make it too far before vanishing from existance in the crowded earphones market.

I'm glad to inform you that the prediction was incorrect, and the KS2 are a living (so to speak) proof that the heads behind KBEAR are alive and kicking, and they are not ready to give up.

The KS2 are fun, vivid, well-balanced and sound very natural to me, as well as energetic when things get bassy. I went as far as comparing these earphones with the renown TRN V90, despite the comparison being quite unfair, given the evident price difference, and this only goes to show you how far KBEAR has gone in such a [relatively] short period of its existance.

I'm very satisfied with the KS2. They are one of my most-used pair of earphones in my collection, and they should definitely be part of your collection too, as they are among the champions within their price range. Can't wait to see what KBEAR has in mind for us next!

Sound signature: Balanced

Although the housings look like nothing to be writing home about, they are simply very comfortable and were shaped perfectly for my ears. They sit firmly, and along with the built-in ear loops and the included ear tips, I often find myself forgetting that I'm even wearing any earphones. I usually have to replace the ear tips to get an optimal seal, but this was not the case here. The tips are simple, but perform exceptionally, at least for me, and that is quite a rare exception.

The lows are stable, deep and energetic. They never get boring, always kicking hard, but are not muddy, nor overwhelming. The rumble stays clean even on unbearable volumes. Bassheads will be deligted, while moderates will not be driven away, and that's as good as it gets.

Very capable and natural mids, perfectly suitable for popular music styles. They are relatively upfront, mainly in the upper-mids/lower-highs range, while the lower mids are a bit toned down. The resulting tuning should be comfortable to most listeners, as it's non-intrusive and well-balanced, perfect for all-purpose applications, but might not be detailed enough for analytical listening. Still, for their price, I expect the mids to be perfectly adequate for the majority of my readers.

The KS2 don't catch as much detail as, let's say, the TRN V90, but what they do catch - they output it very cleanly and naturally. The peaks seem to be very subtle and tolerable in comparison (and that's on top of V90's already solid highs). The treble is mildly bright, but leans further toward natural-sounding for an extremely comfortable listening experience, rather than an extremely analytical one. That been said, if you're into music that has more emphasis on traditional instruments (like folk derivatives), then V90 is probably a more suitable choice after all.